The need for more versatile and portable air samplers has become more and more acute with the passage of an ever increasing number of anti-pollution laws by federal, state and local governments. In order to determine whether or not the type and concentration of contaminants emitted from a source of pollution fall within the standards defined in these recently promulgated laws, the need has arisen for a portable and versatile air sampling device capable of conveniently detecting and measuring the concentration of solid, liquid and gaseous contaminants present in emissions which are frequently located in areas of difficult accessibility, such as the tops of smokestacks of industrial installations.
None of the air samplers in the prior art are well adapted to fulfill this need. Schrieber et al U.S. Pat No. 3,464,257 discloses a remote controlled air sampler which is not portable and utilizes a bulky reel of filter paper of uniform sampling characteristics which is rhythmically fed past a stationary pneumatic feeder. Koblin U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,005, Scoggins U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,261, and Peck U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,359 illustrate samplers which are portable, but are controlled either by a timer means or manually. Finally, patents such as Huch et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,296 disclose air sampling systems light enough to be carried aloft by a buoyant balloon, but automatically actuated by an altimeter when the balloon rises to a predetermined height.